08/05/2026
HOW TO END THE STRUGGLE.
Some years ago, I was pastor of a church in western Pennsylvania. In that church, there was a beautiful young lady, a high school girl, who came to me and said, "Brother Schambach, I've come to tell you good-bye. I am not coming to church any more. I just can't live this life. There are too many pressures in high school. I am not going to be a hypocrite. I
can't live it, and I am not going to come to church and pretend that I am a Christian."
I said to her, "Sit down there. I have something I
want to tell you. I appreciate your honesty, and I am glad that you came and told me instead of just .dropping out. But I want to tell you something about living the Christian life. I can't do it either!"
That almost knocked her off her chair. She said, "What! But you are the preacher! You can't mean that!"
I said, "I am made of the very same stuff that you are, flesh and blood. I learned my lesson a long time ago. There is no way that I can live it, but you can find somebody that will come into your life and live it through you! His name is Jesus!"
Isn't this beautiful?
I believe that we need this kind of teaching. When .you recognize that you can't do it, and turn the whole struggle over to Jesus and let Him do it, He will do it right! That old you has to die! Mortify your members that are upon the earth!
But there are still people in the church that are living like the devil. You know it's the truth!
You say, "But I am doing all I know how!"
Well, now, if we could get by on doing all we know how, Jesus would never have had to die. God was looking for a man that would live this life in the world, but He couldn't find one.
There was David, a man after God's own heart, but you know his story. He got his eyes on another man's wife, and sent that man off to battle and got him killed so that he could marry the woman. David! There is that old battle again. Flesh!
Samson, a man who had supernatural strength, but for the unlawful love of a woman, he lost all his power.
God was looking for a man who would live this
life. Finally, Jesus said, "Father, let me go down there! I will show you how to live this thing!"
Jesus Christ, in the fullness of time, was born of a woman. Mary did not have a husband at the time. He was conceived of Holy Ghost seed.
When He was conceived, Jesus was stripped of His divine power. That statement may amaze you, even shock you, but look at the record.
II Cor. 8:9: "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich."
Hebrews 2:17:
"Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be
made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."
Phil. 2:8:
"And being found in fashion as a man, he
humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
His life on earth was like your life and mine. As a man, He did not become a miracle worker until after the Holy Ghost came upon Him when He was baptized in Jordan. He suffered temptation as a man, and overcame temptation as a man.
Hebrews 4:15:
"(He) was in all points tempted like as we are,
yet without sin."
When He was offered up on Calvary, His blood became the perfect, acceptable sacrifice for sin because there was no sin, no guilt in that blood. He was a spotless Lamb, slain before the foundation of the world.
I want you know that Jesus lived this human life, from His birth to His crucifixion, without sin. He died, and the grave could not hold Him! Can you say praise the Lord?
He was resurrected in the fullness of time, and took His seat on the right hand of God the Father, where He is now making.intercession for you and for me.
He told the disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait until they received the Holy Ghost. He said, "He can't come until I send Him to you, but ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me."
Jesus said, "I am going to walk in you and talk in you, and I am going to be your God, and you are going to be my people."
You say, "Well now, if Jesus is the only one that
lived this life, how in the world can you say that I can live it?"
You can't! But when you are dead, crucified with Christ, He will live it through you!
Did you ever hear somebody stand up in church and say, "Thank the Lord, I am saved and sanctified and living holy and blameless. Nobody can point a finger at me!"
I would say, "Why don't you sit down and shut up?
You aren't doing a thing! You are supposed to be dead, crucified. Dead folks don't brag!"
Everything is "I." Let us glory in nothing, save in the cross of Christ.
"Crucified with Christ; nevertheless, I live; yet
not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life that I
now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
Gal. 2:20.
Then Paul goes on to say,
"I do not frustrate the grace of God; for if
righteousness came by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (v. 21.)
This is the first step. As a Christian, know that it is not you living it; it is Christ living, walking, talking, moving in you. I learned this secret a long time ago.
I told that young lady who came to me
discouraged, "I know I can't live it, but I have learned that I am to identify myself with Christ, upon that .cross. Jesus not only carried Schambach's sins to the cross; He carried Schambach! I am crucified with
Christ through identification. I have been buried with Him in baptism."
Thank God, when we baptize you, we are not going to leave you under the water. We are going to bring you up. There is a resurrection that takes place.
The old man is left behind, dead. The new man rises to walk in newness of life with Christ Jesus. He said,"I will never leave you nor forsake you, even to the end of the age!"
You say, "Do you mean to tell me that I won't be
tempted any more?"
Of course you will be tempted! You will be
tempted more than ever before. But you can look the devil right in the eye and say, "You are dealing with my big Brother! Go ahead, Jesus! You have been this way before. I am just going to stand here and rejoice while you fight the battle for me!"
When the temptation comes, don't you try to fight it. Remember, Jesus won this battle before, and He is going to win it again.
Newness of life!
Born again!
A child of God!
Now you don't have to struggle, because you have learned that somebody is going to fight your battles for you.
- RW Schambach ( WHAT WILL THE WELL-
DRESSED CHRISTIAN WEAR?)
- Spiritual Notes
